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EngineerFEST: Building Community and Engagement Among First-Year Engineering Students

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Conference

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Location

Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia

Publication Date

March 28, 2025

Start Date

March 28, 2025

End Date

March 29, 2025

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

9

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/54662

Paper Authors

biography

Susie Huggins West Virginia University

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Huggins currently works for the Fundamentals of Engineering program at West Virginia University. She is working on her PhD in Education a lifelong dream. Huggins is an advocate of STEM learning in the K-12 arena as well as a proponent of after school programing to help build the workforce of the Technological Revolution. She is particularly interested in Appalachian kindergarten teachers' perceptions of STEM.

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Robin A.M. Hensel West Virginia University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-1858-6452

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Robin A. M. Hensel, Ed.D., is a Teaching Professor in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University and an ASEE Fellow Member. As a mathematician and computer systems analyst, she collaborated in engineering teams to support energy research before entering higher education where she taught mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering courses, secured over $5.5M to support STEM education research, led program development efforts, and served in several administrative roles. She has been recognized for her teaching, advising, service, and research and as an Exemplary Faculty Member for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

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Manar Yamany West Virginia University

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Manar Yamany is a PhD student in the School of Education within the College of Applied Human Sciences at West Virginia University. With a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Manar’s research focuses on increasing girls' enrollment in STEM fields in the Appalachian region, especially through robotics education. Their work aims to uncover effective strategies for engaging young women in science and technology and examines the role of robotics in fostering interest and aspirations in STEM careers.

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Lizzie Santiago West Virginia University

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Lizzie Y. Santiago, Ph.D., is a Teaching Associate Professor for the Fundamentals of Engineering Program in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and has postdoctoral training in ne

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Akua B. Oppong-Anane West Virginia University

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Akua Oppong-Anane is an Assistant Professor of Freshman Engineering at West Virginia University. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, a Master's degree in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Sciences. Her research areas are in environmental engineering, engineering education and advising and retention of first year engineering students.

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Atheer Almasri West Virginia University

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Dr. Almasri is currently a teaching assistant professor in the Fundamentals of Engineering Program (FEP) at the Statler College of Engineering, West Virginia University. He has been serving in this position since 2020. Before joining West Virginia University, he worked as an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering at Imam University for 10 years. Dr. Almasri holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as master's and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Engineering.

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Todd R Hamrick West Virginia University

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Dr. Todd Hamrick, Ph.D. is aTeaching Professor in the Fundamentals of Engineering Program at West Virginia University Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, a position he has held since 2011.

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Carter Hulcher West Virginia University

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Dr. Hulcher is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Fundamentals of Engineering Program in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. He has been in his current role at WVU since 2020. Dr. Hulcher holds degrees in Civil Engineering, as well as Mathematics.

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Abstract

Willing to be a presentation and/or poster

EngineerFEST: Building Community and Engagement Among First-Year Engineering Students

This complete evidence-based paper describes the basis for and the implementation of “EngineerFEST,” an effective student engagement event. EngineerFEST is an annual fall semester engineering student organization and essential student services fair at a mid-Atlantic, R1 institution embedded in Appalachia. More than simply a “Student Organization Fair,” this event fosters student engagement and introduces first-year students to opportunities that broaden their participation and enhance their academic success in engineering. By providing a platform for student organizations to highlight their work and recruit new participants, EngineerFEST encourages peer learning and interdisciplinary interaction, enhancing the educational experience. Representatives from Career Services, Libraries, Study Abroad, and Student Services participate to inform students about available resources and networking opportunities. Additionally, students from varied backgrounds are made to feel welcomed and included, fostering a sense of belonging through the active participation of organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). This paper explores the impact of EngineerFEST on student engagement, describes the logistics of planning the event, and presents feedback from participants to demonstrate its effectiveness in shaping a vibrant engineering community.

Huggins, S., & Hensel, R. A., & Yamany, M., & Santiago, L., & Oppong-Anane, A. B., & Almasri, A., & Hamrick, T. R., & Hulcher, C. (2025, March), EngineerFEST: Building Community and Engagement Among First-Year Engineering Students Paper presented at 2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. https://peer.asee.org/54662

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